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August E. Grant, Ph.D.
Senior Consultant
Focus 25 Research & Consulting
Dr.
August E. (“Augie”) Grant is a technology futurist who specializes in research
on new media technologies and consumer behavior. He specializes in integrating both quantitative and qualitative
research to provide a rich understanding of consumer behavior. In the past ten years, he has conducted or
supervised more than 100 survey research projects. On the qualitative side, he has conducted more than 50 focus
groups since 1998. Before founding
Focus 25 Research & Consulting, he was founding director of the Center for
Mass Communications Research at the University of South Carolina. His research includes proprietary research
for a wide range of technology, communication, and other industries and
non-profit organizations, as well as academic research focused on understanding
consumer motivations and behavior.
His
research is characterized by his “hands-on” approach. In addition to moderating focus groups for Focus 25 Research
& Consulting, he also is a moderator for research companies across the U.S.
looking for a focus group moderator who specializes in predicting consumer
behavior, especially for new technologies and communication media. (To get more information on having Dr. Grant
moderate your focus group, email info@focus25.com.)
When
founding Focus 25 Research & Consulting, Dr. Grant wanted a brief list to
summarize his wide-ranging experiences in conducting primary research. The list of 25 research strategies was the
basis of the Focus 25 name. Click here for more information on these
25 research strategies.
Dr.
Grant is best known as Editor of Communication Technology Update, a
semi-annual review of the latest developments in consumer electronics,
telephony, electronic mass media, and satellite technology. The Update, currently in its seventh
edition, is not only used extensively in industry, but has become one of the
top-selling textbooks in the field of Communication Technology. Dr. Grant has also been published in virtually
every major academic journal in the communication field, including Journal
of Communication, Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, Journal of
Media Economics, and Communication Research. The major theme of his research studies is
the application of theory to understand practical problems and emerging
phenomena in the communication industries.
Dr.
Grant is a frequent speaker on consumer behavior and market opportunities for
emerging technologies. Recent speaking engagements
include the Broadband Home Conference, Digital Hollywood, Parks Associates
Forum, Digital Living Room, ZDNet’s New World Networks, and the Entertainment
Law conference of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
Dr. Grant began a career in local broadcasting while earning his undergraduate degree in Telecommunications from the University of Florida. His subsequent work in radio, television, and corporate communications inspired him to return to the University of Florida to earn a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. He subsequently joined the faculty of the Radio-Television-Film Department at Sam Houston State University. The appeal of a career in research led to doctoral studies at the Annenberg School for Communications at the University of Southern California. After completing his doctorate, he began a new dual career as an academic and industry consultant, with clients including the Fox Broadcasting Network, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Group W Productions, and Nielsen Media Research. After spending nine years with the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin, he became the founding Director of the Center for Mass Communication Research in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina. Most recently, he was Director of Market Research for a 2Wire, Inc., a telecommunications start-up located in San Jose, California.